Winnetka isn’t Middle Earth. But when it comes to boys soccer, it is home to the Lords of the Rings.
Defending state champion New Trier is reloading for a shot at its second big-school title (New Trier West won in 1974, before the two-class system). While doing so, however, the Trevians will keep their new futbol bling on the sidelines.
“We got rings at the end of last year,” said senior Mark Roos, who has given an oral commitment to Wisconsin. “They’re sweet. They’re nice and big like football rings, with our number, ‘2006 state champions.’ And on the inside, we got to put whatever we wanted engraved. It’s very cool.”
The 6-foot-2-inch Roos gained 20 pounds of muscle while rehabbing from a broken ankle suffered in a pickup basketball game last fall. The 195-pounder is excited to move from outside midfielder to forward. He knows he’s just one of the Trevians’ weapons.
“I actually think our team is better,” he said. “I think the younger guys that didn’t get to play a lot last year will step up big, and a lot of kids improved a ton over the club season. We have speed. We have size. We think we have everything.”
Classmate and fellow forward Evan Bartzis will try to play by the numbers this season. He forgot his jersey for the championship game last November at North Central College in Naperville and then scored the match’s lone goal while wearing the jersey of Roos’ graduated brother, Connor.
“A lot of teams are always trying to go after New Trier,” said Bartzis, a Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit who was one of eight Trevians to score five or more goals last season. “Everyone on our team is capable of scoring.”
The Trevians will feature an experienced midfield with senior Sam Meyer, who has committed to Western Michigan, and juniors Chris Ritter and Kyle McCrudden. Another junior, well-regarded club keeper Jordan Maman, will take over in goal.
Senior Jarrett Kerr, headed to Michigan, will anchor the defense with an expected move to stopper. He’ll be joined by returnee Andrew Desmarais. Kerr and his teammates want more of the emotions they experienced last autumn.
“On the ride home, it didn’t matter if the guys had played the whole game or didn’t play at all,” he said. “Everyone felt the same. I’ve never felt like that before. This year, it’s like we’re all with our best friends. It makes it a lot more fun. It’s primarily a junior-senior team. I’ve known them since we were playing [youth soccer] together.”
On their ride back from Naperville last year, the Trevians sang “We Are the Champions.” They hope to reprise the paean in November.
Players to watch
%% FORWARDS
Evan Bartzis Sr. New Trier
Josh Beard So. Schaumburg
Monroe Bell Jr. Amundsen
Brian DeSimone Sr. Buffalo Grove
Byard Ebling Sr. Naperville Central
Shaun Etherington Sr. Plainfield North
Francisco Furio Sr. Barrington
Drew Golz Sr. Oak Park
Marco Gutierrez So. St. Joseph
Brian Holbrook Sr. Geneva
Brad Horton Sr. Sycamore
Jordan Innis Jr. Crystal Lake S.
Edwin Lagunas Sr. Carmel
David Martinez Sr. Mt. Carmel
Kyle Mastey Sr. Andrew
Christian Meza Sr. Dundee-Crown
Mark Roos Sr. New Trier
Eric Shrigley Sr. Wheaton South
MIDFIELDERS
Danny Ahlering Sr. Glenbrook North
Reid Bergstrom Sr. Lake Zurich
Andy Filipiak Sr. Geneva
Phil Galounis Jr. Lincoln-Way Cent.
Juan Giraldo Sr. Oswego
James Kelly Jr. Maine East
Steve Lucianek Sr. Downers South
Keith Mach Sr. Hinsdale South
David Madison Sr. Prospect
Eric Marofske Sr. Conant
Christian Marquez Sr. Argo
Andrew Menendez Jr. Naperville North
Al Palar Sr. Plainfield Central
Kristian Rosenberger Sr. Wheaton North
David Tiemstra Sr. Hinsdale Central
Lionel Tovar Sr. Morton
Trevor Wheeler So. St. Viator
Rafal Zalewski Sr. Leyden
DEFENDERS
Fernando Alvarez Jr. Larkin
Luke Friedman Jr. Marmion
Jonathon Harris Sr. St. Viator
Ryan Hutten Sr. Libertyville
Jarrett Kerr Sr. New Trier
Colin Pekovitch Sr. Stevenson
Osvaldo Rodriguez Sr. East Aurora
Milan Tica Jr. Morgan Pk Acad.
Tim Zimmer Jr. Naperville Central
GOALKEEPERS
Randall Babb Sr. Wheaton South
Benjamin Calvopina Sr. Palatine
Brett Petricek Jr. Downers South
Richie Podjasek Sr. Fremd
John Shakon Sr. Hinsdale Central
State tournaments
At North Central College
*Class A: Oct. 26-27
*Class AA: Nov. 2-3 %%
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dsurico@tribune.com
